A Lost Friend
by Mushrooms Ahoy
Summary: AU. After being attacked by the other boys, Simon doesn't die, but is left severely injured. Will he ever recover and return to Ralph? Simon/Ralph.
1. Chapter 1

Note from author: Throughout this story, Simon's dream sequences are shown in italics.

....

Chapter One. 

_Simon could feel himself floating up and down in a black abyss. His bright eyes scanned the darkness around him, praying that he would spot a tiny glimpse of light. Nothing. Everything around him was just a mass of shadows. There was nothing but infinite gloom. _

"_Hello?" The boy whimpered in a quiet voice. There was no answer. Simon tried again. "Hello?"_

"_Hello, little boy…" a deep, raspy voice sounded._

_Simon jumped. He knew that voice. He looked around him, but he couldn't see anyone. The voice seemed to be coming from nowhere. "Where are you?"_

"_I'm everywhere, you silly boy. I am a part of you. I can be anywhere, anytime, anyplace. There's no escaping me" The Lord of the Flies replied._

"_What happened?" The last thing Simon could remember was running out of the jungle towards Jack's tribe, yelling the truth about the Beast. The rest of his memory was a blank._

"_The tribe mistook you for the Beast, panicked and attacked you. They bit you and scratched you and tore your skin apart!" The Lord of the Flies said in a sing-song voice, as if it were rehearsing a nursery rhyme. _

_Simon felt his eyes sting with tears. "Am I dead?" He choked out._

"_No, you're still alive, but barely. You were injured extremely badly."_

"_Then why am I here?"_

"_You're in a coma. You took numerous blows to the head in that attack. Of course, none of this would have happened if you'd listened to me. If you'd done as I told you and hadn't tried to talk to the others, you wouldn't even be here right now!"_

"_I had to tell the others! I had to help!"_

"_Well, they're beyond help now. They didn't hear one word you said. They were far too busy beating the living daylights out of you! And nobody tried to help you, not even your precious little Ralph!"_

_Simon's head shot up with sudden anger. "That's a lie!"_

"_Oh no, it's not! He's just as guilty as any of the others! He hit you and struck you along with the rest of the tribe!"_

_Simon felt a hot tear trickling down his cheek. "Why?" he whispered._

"_We've had this conversation before, my dear boy. Every person in the world has the potential to kill, and it's only a matter of time before they decide to use it!"_

_Simon felt more tears spill from his eyes and run down his face. He didn't feel any shame in crying in front of the beast. He felt so betrayed, so deceived. Ralph was the one person on the island he thought he could trust._

"_Oh dear, I've gone and upset you, haven't I?" The Lord of the Flies said in a mock sympathetic voice. "Not that it really surprises me. I knew you'd be devastated when you found out. You liked Ralph a lot, didn't you?" _

_Simon didn't answer._

"_Yes, you liked him __**very **__much. I know how you felt about him…"_

"_Be quiet!" Simon tried to yell at the creature, but it only came out as a hoarse whisper, which was instantly drowned out by the sound of The Lord of the Flies' cruel laughter. Simon covered his ears and shut his eyes as the laughing echoed throughout the darkness._

….

It was a starless night and no moon was visible. The lack of light made the ocean a mass of liquid blackness, and the only thing that separated the outline of the ocean against the outline of the equally dark sky were the waves that stirred the water's surface.

Drifting peacefully along on the calm waves, Simon's comatose body continued to be pulled further and further out to sea by the strong currents. The boy had now been floating in the ocean for several hours. The salty water had mixed with the blood from his gaping wounds to form a reddish hue which washed across most of his body. Simon's soft black hair was now partially stained with blood, making small strands of his locks clump together above his forehead.

Suddenly, a huge wave emerged out of the tranquil waters, forcefully dragging Simon along with it. The wave continued to increase in height and surge forwards until it suddenly crashed against the shore of a tiny coral atoll.

As soon as it hit the shore, the wave descended into a powerful stream of foam and trickling sea water which deposited Simon's body on the sand. The torrent rushed over the boy and tugged him further up the beach until the water finally pulled backwards into the ocean, leaving Simon lying at the top of the beach.

The young boy jerked his head and murmured something quietly, but he soon fell silent again and slipped back into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Special thanks to Sasuke0099 and Sai-Narutos-Lover**

**for reviewing. **

….

Chapter Two.

Ralph was lying down on the beach, staring vacantly up at the sky. He had no idea how long he had been lying there. Although the sun was shining down on him, although the warm waves of the sea were washing over his feet, although the sand was sticking to his back, Ralph couldn't comprehend that any of it was real. He felt so numb, like he was frozen in time. His body trembled uncontrollably as he recalled the events of the previous night.

_I've killed…no, I've murdered Simon. I've actually murdered a person. Murderer, murderer, __**murderer! **_

At first, Ralph's shock had been so great that he refused to believe it had even happened. He kept telling himself that it was just a dream, that Simon wasn't really dead, and all he needed to do was close his eyes and when he opened them again he would see Simon, alive and well, walking up the beach towards him.

Piggy kept insisting on how the whole thing was just a terrible accident and that it was nobody's fault. Part of Ralph wanted to agree with him, as if it would somehow make the pain easier, but deep down, he knew the truth. They were all murderers, every last one of them. Including himself.

Unable to bear Piggy's whining about how Simon's death had been no more than a "mistake", Ralph had fled to the other side of the beach. He needed to be alone with his thoughts at a time like this, and the other boys' constant nattering about rescue and the threat of Jack's tribe was not helping.

Ralph's shock eventually subsided to grief, and he finally began to grasp the consequences of what he had done. He would never again see Simon's electrically bright eyes, which seemed to hold within them a wisdom that was rare to find in most adults, let alone a young boy. He would never again hear Simon's soft voice, always so calm and reassuring. Simon was, without a doubt, the most remarkable boy Ralph had ever met. And now he was gone forever.

_Simon was so innocent, so gentle…and I took his life away!_

Tears slowly began to run down Ralph's cheeks and the boy sobbed quietly. He sat up and buried his face in his hands, his tears trailing their way down his palms.

"I'm so sorry, Simon…." he whispered in a barely audible voice.

"Ralph!" A voice exclaimed suddenly.

Ralph jumped and quickly rubbed his eyes, trying to brush away the tears. He didn't want anyone to know he had been crying. When he was finally convinced all the traces of his tears were gone, Ralph slowly turned his head.

Piggy was walking towards him from down the beach.

"Ralph, what are you doing here?!"

"I just….I just needed some time to think, that's all" Ralph answered shortly.

"Well, can't you think some other time? We have to focus on the signal fire!"

Ralph's eyes locked with Piggy's, and the fair haired boy glared at the bespectacled boy with such sheer anger and disbelief that Piggy whimpered and looked away.

"Piggy, don't you realise what happened last night?! Doesn't it affect you at all?!"

Piggy kept his gaze firmly on the ground. "It **does **affect me, Ralph. I wish it had never happened. I wish Simon was still alive and with us now. But we can't change the past. We need to move on and concentrate on being rescued."

"I should've guessed you'd say that!" Ralph snapped with such ferocity that if Piggy hadn't known better, he'd swear that it was Jack speaking to him, not the fair haired chief.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You never liked Simon, did you?!"

"That's nonsense!"

"Well, you never appreciated him, anyway! He was always so willing to help, he was always so loyal and trusting. And what did you call him?! Batty! You just thought he was completely mad!"

"Ralph, please listen to me! When I said we should move on, I didn't mean to show any disrespect to Simon's memory."

"So, what did you mean?"

"Ralph….now I've seen what Jack's tribe are capable of, I…..I'm scared. I don't know what they might try to do next! I just want to be safe, Ralph. I want to go home!"

Ralph paused. He realised he was being unfair to accuse Piggy of such things. It was only natural that the other boy wanted to be protected after what he had seen happen the previous night.

"I'm sorry, Piggy. I shouldn't have said those awful things. It's just….it's just that when we arrived on this island, I promised myself that I would help everyone get back home. Nobody would get left behind."

Ralph had now turned his head to look at the ocean's horizon, trying to prevent the flow of tears.

"I broke my promise, Piggy. I let Simon down."

Through his slightly blurry spectacles, Piggy could just see Ralph's eyes watering slightly. He felt a stab of guilt.

"Ralph, I never meant to…."

"It's fine, Piggy, it's fine!" Ralph cut the other boy off mid sentence.

The fair haired boy turned sharply away from the sea and began walking briskly back up the beach. "Come on, let's check on the signal fire!" he yelled over his shoulder to Piggy.

The bespectacled boy sighed and began to hurry after Ralph, desperately trying to keep up.

"Ralph! Ralph, slow down, please! Remember I've got ass-mar!"

….

Simon groaned and slowly stirred. He had barely opened his eyes before the immense pain from his injuries suddenly surged through him. The boy whimpered and looked down to see that almost every part of his body was cut and bleeding.

Simon turned his attention away from his bleeding body and looked around him. He was on a beach, but it wasn't the island's beach. He didn't recognise this place at all.

Hearing the sound of waves breaking against the shore, Simon looked up as a stream of sea water flooded over his lower body, stopping at his torso. He yelped as the salt from the water washed into his wounds, making them sting viciously.

Simon suddenly realised the danger he was in. _If I stay here, I'll get washed away by the tide! _

Simon tried to lift himself onto his feet, but as he stood up, excruciating pain rushed through his legs, as if he was being stabbed by hundreds of spears at once. Simon cried out in pain and his legs gave way, making him collapse back onto the sand.

Simon sighed. If he couldn't stand up, he would have to find another way to move himself. An idea occurred to Simon and he grimaced. It would work, but it wouldn't be pleasant. Simon rolled onto his side. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and braced himself. _This is going to hurt…_

Resting most of his weight on his hands and arms, Simon lifted his body slightly above the ground and began to drag himself further up the beach. He winced as his wounds began to sting more badly than ever, but he ignored the pain and continued to move forward gradually.

Eventually, Simon managed to move off the beach and into a small cluster of palm trees. By now the young boy was almost delirious from the amount of pain his injuries were causing him. Suddenly, Simon began to sway to and fro and his vision began to blur.

_Oh no…not again. Not another faint…_

Simon tried to fight the dizziness, but it was too late. His feeble body slumped to the ground.

_No…please…don't…_Simon's thoughts became more desperate.

He tried vainly to lift himself up again, but found he couldn't. All his energy was beginning to fade. Exhausted, alone, injured and weak, Simon let his head lay back and he slowly closed his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been quite busy recently! I tried to make this chapter a bit longer to make up for it!**

**Now onto the "thank-you's":**

**Mankinfan - Thanks for your review and thanks a lot for the tip, I've allowed anon reviews now.**

**Sai-Narutos-Lover - Thanks for yet another review and thanks for favouriting, too! I'm happy now! :3**

**SimonOfTheFlies - Thank you for your review and favouriting! I've checked out your community, though I'm not quite sure about how to join. Please tell me how, 'cos it looks really interesting!**

…**.**

Chapter Three.

_Waves of think, murky shadows washed over Simon and engulfed him. The shadows dragged Simon away from consciousness and tugged him into darkness. When the shadows let go of him, Simon felt his body falling backwards and he landed with a thud on a surprisingly solid-feeling floor. All hints of sunlight vanished from view and a thick, black emptiness surrounded him. The boy slowly lifted his head and looked around. He sighed, defeated. He was back in the abyss. _

"_Back so soon?" The Lord of the Flies' voice greeted Simon. _

"_I…I couldn't stay awake. It hurt so much…I passed out" Simon stuttered as he picked himself up off the floor, trembling. Simon could still feel a remainder of the pain he had experienced when he was still conscious, which made it difficult for him to stand up straight without shaking._

"_I should have guessed that would happen. You've always been weak, haven't you? You couldn't even spend a couple of hours in the sun without throwing a faint!"_

_Simon blushed and looked down at his feet, embarrassed. He had tried to forget about his first fainting attack on the island. "I just wasn't used to the heat, that' s all…" _

"_Yes, but none of the other boys were affected, were they?! You are weak. Weak, foolish and batty."_

_Simon cringed. He hated that word. __**Batty**__. It sounded so simple-minded and delusional. It had always hurt Simon when someone called him batty. Well, nearly always. For some reason he couldn't quite understand, it hadn't felt as bad when Ralph had said it. He remembered that day vividly; he been sitting beside Ralph on a cluster of rocks which overlooked the ocean. He had been telling Ralph that he thought…no, he knew that the other boy was going to get back home. He could sense it, feel it in his bones. And then Ralph had said he was batty. It had stung Simon slightly, but it didn't hurt as much as it usually did. _

"_Cat got your tongue, boy?!" The beast's voice jolted Simon out of his musings._

"_Uh…no. I just wanted to ask you a question."_

"_A question?"_

"_Yes, if you think I'm so batty, then why did you speak to me? You could have spoken to any of the others on the island, told them truth, but you chose me. Why?"_

_The creature laughed quietly. It was a low and ominous sound, and it had a sinister edge to it. _

"_I chose you because you're different. You didn't believe there was a monster, you could tell that it was the people around you who were the real danger. You were smart, you could understand things the others didn't. And of course, there was your little __'__gift__'__…"_

"_Gift?"_

"_Your mental abilities. You can sense the truth, you have visions and sometimes you can actually predict the future. Even I must admit it is quite impressive. Which brings me onto another subject; while you're here, you're going to do me a favour. "_

_Simon raised an eyebrow. "Why should I help you?" he asked._

_Suddenly, out of nowhere, a clawed hand lunged out and grabbed Simon firmly by the arm. The boy yelped in surprise and tried to tear away from it's grasp, but the hand tightened its hold. _

"_Don't try to resist me, you foolish boy, or I can make things even more unpleasant for you than they already are. Now, are you going to do as I say, or do I have to lose my temper with you?"_

_The claws dug deeply into Simon's flesh and the hand began to pull downwards, dragging the sharp claws down Simon's arm horribly slowly. The boy bit his lip as his skin tore and blood slowly began to pour through the cuts. Simon gave in. _

"_OK, I'll do it!"_

_The arm stopped and vanished into the darkness just as quickly as it had appeared. _

"_There's a good boy." The Lord of the Flies said in a patronising tone. "What I want you to do is use your "gift" for me. I want you to have a vision of the island and tell me what you see."_

_Simon was desperate to ask why, but he didn't want the beast to lose its patience with him again, so he decided he had better remain silent. Simon closed his eyes and began to concentrate. _

"_Does it matter what I have a vision of?"_

"_No, it can be about anyone or anything, but only as long as it is related to the island."_

_Simon kept his eyes firmly closed and channelled all his thoughts back to the island. He thought of past memories and tried to picture the scenery and the people clearly. A vivid image suddenly appeared in his mind and Simon stiffened. He could tell it was definitely a vision; it was far too realistic to be his imagination. _

_As he watched the vision, Simon realised it was from the past. It was a flashback of the day that he had gone to search for the beast, along with the rest of the biguns._

_Simon saw himself walking along in the jungle and then slow his pace so he could walk alongside Ralph. There was something about Ralph's presence that Simon enjoyed; the fair-haired boy seemed to accept his little quirks, unlike many other people. It felt nice to be around someone who didn't seem to mind his company, for a change. Ralph turned briefly to look at Simon and flashed a quick smile at him before turning away again. Simon felt himself blush at exactly the same time as he did in the vision. Ralph had always had a nice smile. Simon couldn't help but laugh quietly as his past self walked straight into a tree. Ralph rolled his eyes as the vision slowly began to fade away._

_Simon felt a strange pain well up inside of him, hurting far more than the pain he had experienced from his injuries. He had liked Ralph. _

_Ralph actually listened to him and valued his opinions, whereas the other boys just dismissed him as completely mad. Ralph had always been so confident around people, which Simon admired a lot, mainly because it was something he had never been able to do. And above all else, Ralph had seemed like a genuinely caring person. _

_But Ralph had helped to tear him apart. Ralph had attacked him as if he was a mindless savage. Simon thought Ralph was different to the other boys. He thought Ralph would never dream trying to kill a living thing, even if he thought it was a monster. _

_Simon sighed. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Ralph just wasn't the boy he had thought he was…_

"_Well, have you had a vision?!" The beast's voice demanded suddenly, making Simon jump. _

_The young boy nodded and reluctantly opened his eyes to look around the gloomy void he was trapped in. _

"_What did you see?" The creature asked eagerly._

"_It was like a flashback. I saw myself and the others" Simon replied, not wanting to give the beast the full details of his vision. _

"_And you're sure it was a vision?"_

"_Yes."_

_The Lord of the Flies began to laugh again and Simon shuddered at the menacing sound. _

"_Well done, my dear boy. Well done indeed…" it murmured quietly. _

…

The knife dug sharply into the trunk of a palm tree, slicing through the thick bark. The man wielding the knife frowned as he tried to manoeuvre the knife around inside the tree. The man pulled the knife further up the trunk, over to one side and then downwards. Tugging the knife out, the man reached forward and pulled out the triangle-shaped piece of bark which his knife had managed to cut out of the tree. The tree now had a large hole in it, which sticky sap oozed out of.

The man examined the cutting and smiled, pleased with his handiwork. He reached into his rucksack beside him and pulled out a small plastic bag, which contained cuttings from other trees and plants. After dropping the bark in the plastic bag, he placed the bag back in his rucksack, which he zipped up and slung casually over one shoulder.

Walking out of the foliage and onto the beach, the man couldn't help but feel extremely pleased with himself. He had taken enough plant samples to last for weeks.

_Hopefully that means I won't have to sail back here again for about a fortnight _he thought.

When the man caught sight of his small motorboat anchored beside the beach, he beamed and sped up, eager to get back home. As the man cast one last glance around the small atoll, he stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of something slumped in between a small group of palm trees.

The man walked towards the trees and reached forward to brush away a palm leave that was blocking his view. His heart jumped when he realised, to his horror, that it was a body.

"My word…"

Shaking slightly, the man bent down and gingerly turned the figure onto its side to get a better look.

It was a young boy, school-age, with a thick mane of black hair which flopped forward to cover part of his face. The boy's skin was ripped open in numerous places and his whole body was covered in blood. Gaping wounds dotted his stomach and one of his legs was twisted at a slightly awkward angle.

The man's stomach churned and he thought for an awful moment he would actually be sick.

"Looks like an animal attack" the man murmured.

He reached down to grab the boy's wrist and his jaw dropped in astonishment when he felt a very weak pulse. By some miracle, the boy was still alive.

_This boy needs medical attention! _The man thought urgently.

As the man scooped the injured boy up into his arms, the boy's arm gave a slight twitch. The boy's head jerked violently to the side, tossing his bloodied black hair across his face.

The man reached over with his spare hand to lay a comforting hand on the boy's forehead.

"It's alright, I'll get you to a doctor. Just hold on for a little longer…" The man whispered.

The boy's body gave a violent shudder and then he suddenly became still again, as the man carrying him raced towards his boat.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's notes: **

**Special thanks to Too Lazy To Log In, Sai-Narutos Lover, RadianceRose, Faba, Amethyst DragonRider and Nigiri Ashika for reviewing. Thanks you lot!**

Chapter Four.

Doctor Wright walked briskly down one of the corridors in the medical clinic, anxious to see his newest patient.

Even though the British doctor had retired from the military five years previously, he couldn't bear to move away from the South Pacific island that he had been stationed on for so long. After setting up his own private clinic, Wright spent many days treating local islanders who were normally suffering from mild illnesses or a few broken bones. However, his new patient was a different case altogether.

Wright hadn't seen such hideous injuries since he had been in the Navy, where he used to treat soldiers from the frontline. What made the case even more brutal was the fact that the patient was a young boy, who, Wright guessed, must be under the age of thirteen. The boy had been brought to him by Philip Jackson, an American botanist who was studying plant life on tropical islands. Jackson said he had found the boy on a small coral atoll.

The doctor turned right and kept walking until he reached a room at the end of the corridor. He had decided to place the injured boy in a private ward, as the patient required intensive care if he was ever to recover.

Opening the door to the ward, Wright stepped in and moved towards a small bed by the window, letting his gaze sweep over his comatose patient.

The boy's body was almost completely covered in thick bandages, while the deeper cuts had been sewed up with stitches. One particularly long stitch ran down the side of the boy's face, where the cheek had been ripped open. Many of the stitches on the boy's face were covered by a thick mass of black hair which ran down to his nose. Wright had also injected the boy with numerous antibiotics, just in case any of the wounds had become infected.

Much to Wright's relief, the boy appeared to be breathing steadily, which he could see from the gentle rising and falling of the patient's chest.

The doctor reached out to take hold of the dark-haired boy's wrist and he placed his thumb against one of the veins. Wright thought the pulse seemed slightly stronger than the last time he checked it, and he gave a small smile.

_If only this boy would come out of his coma, then maybe he will be alright…_The doctor thought.

…

_A bright light burst in front of Ralph's eyes, blinding the boy temporarily. He shut his eyes and threw an arm upwards to shield himself from the glare. As Ralph blocked out some of the light, strange shapes began to surround him and take familiar forms. Ralph's head spun to the side, taking in his new surroundings. He was on a small beach, but he could tell it wasn't the island's beach; the sand was a golden yellow colour instead of white, there were no palm trees to be seen and the beach was divided in two by a large pier which ran from the top of the shore down to the water. _

_Ralph beamed with pure, undiluted happiness as memories came flooding back to him. He knew this beach all too well. It was his beach in England. He was back home! _

_Ralph gave a quiet laugh, savouring the joy of having finally returned. As Ralph began to stroll contentedly down the beach, the feeling seemed to grow stronger and stronger, until Ralph could no longer contain himself. The boy broke into a graceful skip, leaping from one foot to another, spinning in a circle and then repeating the steps. _

"_Woo-pee! Wacco!" Ralph yelled jovially, not caring about who may hear him. _

_The blond boy spun on his heel, about to leap into the air, when he suddenly froze, blinking in astonishment. A few metres away from him, sat on a large slab of rock, was the figure of another boy. The figure had his back turned to Ralph and was facing the sea._

_Ralph frowned curiously and slowly advanced towards the rock. As he drew closer, Ralph saw that the figure seemed a lot shorter than him and had a thick, untidy mass of black hair._

_Ralph gasped. "Simon?!" _

_The figure turned its head to look at Ralph, revealing the face of the dark choirboy. Ralph smiled broadly and waved at him. However, Simon didn't respond. He simply stared at Ralph with a blank, unemotional expression. _

_Ralph's smile faded slightly. "Are you okay?" _

_Simon didn't reply but kept his gaze fixed on Ralph. Growing concerned, Ralph continued walking until he was stood beside the rock, looking up at Simon. _

"_What's wrong, Simon?"_

_The other boy shrugged and began to turn away. Ralph reached out and grabbed Simon by the arm to stop him, but the fair-haired boy yelped and let go as Simon's arm suddenly became covered in blood. _

_Ralph backed away from the dark-haired boy, staring in horror as vicious wounds appeared all over Simon's body. Ralph tried to scream, but fear stole his voice away. The skin around Simon's face and arms split open, leaving exposed muscle and flesh. Blood spouted from each of the wounds, staining the boy's body a deep red colour. Ralph felt like his stomach had been pulled roughly out of shape and he gagged. All the while Simon never took his eyes off Ralph, keeping the same vacant expression._

_When Ralph finally found his voice, he asked in a strangled whisper, "What's going on?!" _

"_You don't know?" The other boy spoke softly._

"_Of course I don't know!"_

_Simon paused to look down at his mutilated body before his eyes finally returned to Ralph. _

"_This is what you did to me."_

_Ralph's blood froze in his veins. "Wh-What do you mean?"_

"_These are the wounds you gave me when you attacked me. This is how you killed me. Don't you remember, Ralph?" Simon's eyes locked with Ralph's as he uttered the last sentence. _

_Ralph felt himself shiver under Simon's intense stare. The younger boy's eyes held no trace of pain or suffering; there were just empty, as if made from glass. There was no emotion, no feeling, and to Ralph, this was more disturbing than the sight of the bloodied injuries. _

"_But I…I…" Ralph broke off and shook his head violently, denying the allegation. "No! I didn't mean to!"_

"_That doesn't matter. You still killed me. Why do you try to deny it?"_

"_Simon, I didn't know it was you! Jack and the hunters, they said you were the Beast! I just thought…" _

"_Thought what? That I was the Beast? I thought you didn't believe in the Beast."_

_Ralph was about to argue but he stopped himself as the truth of the words began to sink in. Simon was right. He had scoffed at the idea of a monster on the island, he had fought to try to persuade the other boys that it didn't exist. As Ralph pondered over this realisation, Simon spoke again._

"_If you didn't think there was a Beast, why did you attack me? You admitted to Piggy you didn't feel scared when I appeared. So what did you feel? What feeling inside of you made you kill me?"_

_Ralph opened his mouth and closed it again, unable to think of a sensible answer. He had no idea what he had been thinking. The night seemed like a blur in his mind. Ralph remembered the bizarre thrill he experienced while he was dancing, like he had somehow been set free. Then the Beast's name rang throughout the darkness and a new sensation had rushed through him. It was indescribable; it was a untameable, primal longing to attack. _

_As Ralph recalled this strange instinct, he lowered his head shamefully, unable to meet Simon's eyes._

"_I blame you, Ralph." _

_The dark haired boy's words cut through Ralph like a knife. Ralph felt his eyes water as an uncontrollable wave of grief and guilt ran through him. _

"_I'm sorry…" Ralph murmured in a voice just above a whisper, a tear slowly running down his cheek. When there was no reply, Ralph looked up again. Through his watering eyes Ralph could just about see Simon walking away from him._

"_Simon! Simon, wait!"_

_Simon kept his back turned on Ralph and he quickened his pace. Ralph began to run after the boy, but somehow, his body never seemed to go any faster. It was like everything around him was frozen still. By now, Simon was so far down the beach that he had almost completely disappeared from view._

"_Simon!" Ralph shouted as loudly as he could, praying that the other boy was still within earshot._

"_Simon, please, come back! Come back! SIMON!" _

…

"Eric! Eric, wake up!"

Ericgroaned as Sam shook him awake.

"Sam, gettoff! Go away!" Eric mumbled, turning onto his side.

"Eric, there's something wrong with Ralph!"

Eric's eyes snapped open and he sat up.

"What d'you mean?"

"Come and look!" Sam crawled away to the other side of the shelter. Eric moved onto his chest and shuffled along on his knees and arms until he eventually reached Sam.

Sam was crouched beside Ralph's sleeping body.

"Simon! Simon, wait!" Ralph cried out.

"There! You see?!" Sam glanced anxiously at Eric.

"He's dreaming, stupid!" Eric retorted.

"Don't call me stupid!" Sam gave Eric a hard push on the chest and Eric, in return, punched his brother in the shoulder.

However, before either of them had a change to continue, Ralph spoke again, louder this time, "Simon!"

"Should we wake him up?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. I think we should get Piggy" Eric replied.

Sam nodded in agreement. As the twins began to move away, Ralph stirred again.

"Simon, please, come back! Come back! SIMON!" Ralph yelled at the top of his voice and shot bolt upright as he was shaken awake. The blond boy's actions were so sudden that Sam jumped backwards in surprise, crashing into Eric and knocking the two of them into a heap.

Ralph stared into empty space as he started to comprehend that he had been dreaming. He now recognised where he was; he wasn't on the beach, he wasn't in England. He was still trapped on the island. And Simon was dead.

Even though it had all been a dream, Ralph was chilled to the bone. He remembered every word Simon had said to him, every accusation the other boy had made. He remembered the blood, the torn flesh and Simon's haunting, unemotional eyes, which he could still feel staring into his…

Ralph was interrupted in his thoughts when Eric made a pained noise as Sam accidentally elbowed him in the ribs while trying to get up. Raising an eyebrow slightly, Ralph turned around to face them.

"What are you two doing?"

SamnEric jumped at the sound of Ralph's voice, but Sam said quietly "Well, we heard you…"

"You were talking in your sleep…" Eric added.

"We were worried that you were in trouble…"

"So we went to see if you were alright and then you woke up."

Ralph sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes. He had gotten used to SamnEric breaking a sentence into fragments and saying parts each, but it could still annoy him sometimes. Ralph became aware that the twins were watching him intently, so he muttered "Well, I'm alright now, so you can go back to sleep."

"Okay, we just wanted to check on you. We thought…" Sam trailed off to peer closely at Ralph.

"What are you looking at, Sam?!" Ralph asked in an exasperated tone.

"You're crying."

Ralph's body stiffened. "I'm not."

"Yes, you are. It's hard to see in the dark, but yours tears shine. Look." Sam leaned forward and brushed his finger against Ralph's cheek, then pulled back and held his hand up to a small gap in the shelter roof, where silver moonlight was filtering through. Glimmering slightly against Sam's dark, tanned skin, was a single teardrop.

Ralph felt himself blush and he turned away. He had been crying in his sleep? He hadn't felt the tears against his skin. He hadn't even noticed his eyes were watering.

"Are you feeling okay, Ralph?"

"It's not like you to cry…"

"Was the dream really bad?"

"You were talking about Simon…"

Ralph felt more tears flow from his eyes at the mention of the boy's name. On an impulse, Ralph got up and walked briskly out of the shelter and onto the sand. SamnEric ran to the shelter's entrance.

"Ralph? Where are you going?" Sam called after him.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll be back later."

"But it's the middle of the night!" Eric pointed out.

Ralph didn't reply. Taking a sharp turn to the left, the fair-haired chief began to walk further down the beach

SamnEric watched Ralph's silhouette until it finally disappeared from view, then turned to look at each other in bemusement.

"Do you think he's ill?" Sam asked.

Eric shrugged. "If he is, I hope he gets better soon. If he's sick, how will he protect us from Jack?"


End file.
